MaturityDodger
Prominent Member
Hi. What's a good NAS and disk combo to go for at the moment?
I have a QNAP TS-210 that I've had for a good many years. One of the HDDs is on its way out - giving me warnings. So I thought it might as well be time to replace the NAS and the drives at the same time.
I'd say I give it light usage - main uses are domestic backup, and as a music server. Music is to squeezeboxes (yes I've managed to keep LMS running on the 210) and also to my Denon AVR.
I now keep it in the room I use as a home office, so I don't want anything too noisy. Also energy efficient. It sits in a cabinet with limited ventilation. So low energy usage = low heat output = good.
Are SSDs ok for NAS? Obviously they cost more, and with network as a bottleneck I won't see the performance gains. I'm weighing up the fact that they're quieter against the fact that I think I heard that the way NAS uses/accesses them will degrade their life. Is there any truth to that?
And is the HDD noise actually significant relative to my TS-210 fans? I.e. if I get a fanless NAS but stick with regular HDDs, have I killed most of the noise? How often do NASs actually spin the drives up? I've had mine turned off since the drive went, and can't remember from before that.
I had a quick flick down some manufacturers' websites, and see that most now have HDMI out and USB in. Are they really suitable for hooking up to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, and then using as a low-powered PC?
And finally, what's the best thing to do when I get the new one? I'm pretty sure the two drives were in RAID 1, and only one of them is complaining (complaining but still functional). The other is fine.
I have a QNAP TS-210 that I've had for a good many years. One of the HDDs is on its way out - giving me warnings. So I thought it might as well be time to replace the NAS and the drives at the same time.
I'd say I give it light usage - main uses are domestic backup, and as a music server. Music is to squeezeboxes (yes I've managed to keep LMS running on the 210) and also to my Denon AVR.
I now keep it in the room I use as a home office, so I don't want anything too noisy. Also energy efficient. It sits in a cabinet with limited ventilation. So low energy usage = low heat output = good.
Are SSDs ok for NAS? Obviously they cost more, and with network as a bottleneck I won't see the performance gains. I'm weighing up the fact that they're quieter against the fact that I think I heard that the way NAS uses/accesses them will degrade their life. Is there any truth to that?
And is the HDD noise actually significant relative to my TS-210 fans? I.e. if I get a fanless NAS but stick with regular HDDs, have I killed most of the noise? How often do NASs actually spin the drives up? I've had mine turned off since the drive went, and can't remember from before that.
I had a quick flick down some manufacturers' websites, and see that most now have HDMI out and USB in. Are they really suitable for hooking up to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, and then using as a low-powered PC?
And finally, what's the best thing to do when I get the new one? I'm pretty sure the two drives were in RAID 1, and only one of them is complaining (complaining but still functional). The other is fine.